Just Out of Reach
by invisible0one
Summary: Sequel to "Within the Confines of the Mind." Sam is trying to move on with her life after Danny's death, but something is holding her back. Maybe it's the victim of a recent car crash who can't remember anything about who he is except for a pair of amethyst eyes.
1. Chapter 1

Who was I? It seems like it should be such a silly question, but I honestly didn't remember who I was or what happened. The only image that presented itself when I tried to remember was two amethyst eyes. I couldn't even remember the rest of the face those eyes belonged to, it was just those eyes that were engrained in my head.

There was a beeping off to my side, the right one, I think. Not too long after, or maybe they'd already been there, people started filling the room. Most of them messed around with the equipment around me, but one, the only one not in, what were they called? Scrubs? That sounds right. The only one who wasn't dressed in scrubs stood off to the side, a look of both fear and relief on his face.

He was a middle aged man and was slowly balding. Something told me I should recognize him as someone important to my life, but I didn't have a clue who he was. Was he possibly my dad? Why can't I remember these things? He wore simple jeans and a brown shirt with some design I couldn't quite make out. It looked out of place for some reason; for some reason it felt like my father would be more prone to something almost obnoxiously bright, like a neon orange.

A few minutes later, the doctors left, saying something about pain killers that might be screwing with my head for a few more hours. I was left with a man I didn't remember, but supposedly knew.

"You scared me half to death there Ricky." Ricky? Was that my name? Or a nickname of sorts? It didn't feel right though. Only the y at the end felt even remotely like it belonged. "We didn't think you were going to make it through after that crash; hell, we thought you were dead there for a minute." I could tell he'd been worried sick, but it felt like a car crash should have been nothing compared to what I'd been through before, but that had to just be a side effect of the drugs, right?

"I...I don't remember." I couldn't think of anything else to say, but the statement only added to the worry on the man's face.

"You don't remember the crash?" I could tell a part of him was hoping it was just the crash I couldn't remember, but that wasn't the case.

"I can't remember the crash or anything else. My name, my life, anything. I don't remember." I was frustrated, but it felt natural for me to try and keep my anger from keeping itself known, almost as if there was some secret my anger could unknowingly reveal. What secret that could be, I didn't have a clue, but there was something I was used to having to hide.

"They told me this might happen, you did hit your head pretty hard. It's okay Rick, we'll figure this out. Hopefully it won't be permanent." He tried to give me a reassuring smile, but I could see the worry still resting behind those tired eyes. "Is there anything you remember? Anything at all?"

I nearly shook my head to tell him no, then I realized that would be a lie. "Just a pair of amethyst eyes." I couldn't tell what he thought of that answer. He was surprised, but I couldn't tell if he thought such a minor thing was good or not.

But really, who did those eyes belong to?

* * *

I played hooky for a few days after the last time I saw Danny, but after three missed days from school my mother finally cared enough to force me to go back. Appear entry feeling light headed only gets you so far in my mother's book.

Throughout the day, I was vaguely aware of the story going around about one of the boys in the wrestling team and how he'd been in a really bad car crash. Normally, I wouldn't have cared, but the fact that the crash happened on the same day as I'd last seen Danny had grabbed my attention. Then, I heard that it really should have killed the guy and he was lucky to have only gotten amnesia.

The things that went together in my mind? The fact that it should have killed him and that Danny had said he wasn't able to stay because something was pulling him away. I felt a glimmer of hope form in my heart, but I forced myself to squash it. I was just jumping to conclusions, ones that would have seemed completely impossible if Danny hadn't been half ghost in the first place. There was no need to set myself up for disappointment.

* * *

_And we're back!_

_So, if a character comes back in another person's body, is it still an OC? o.O_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks after my accident, I was released to go home with my dad. I spent the week wandering around the house, desperately trying to remember something about who I was. There were pictures all over the place, some with the step brother I supposedly had and some without. There were trophies and awards all over my room, ranging anywhere to first place in a wrestling championship to just maintaining a high GPA even though I had been on one of the sports teams. I even found a first division medal from some choir contest I had apparently done sometime earlier in the year.

None of it looked familiar though. Somehow, I doubted I had really managed to keep my grades up as high as I supposedly did. Nothing I saw at home made sense, none of it felt like it was really me or even jogged some lost memory. None of it felt right.

I was given a week off from school, then I was expected to at least attempt to get back into my normal routine, even if I still couldn't remember any of it. I was printed off a schedule and sent to wander down the hallways until I could find my classes. Sadly, these halls seemed the most familiar out of everything I've seen or been around since the accident.

The accident. Why does it feel like that phrase could easily apply to two completely separate incidents in my life? I'd have to ask my dad when I got home, I doubted anyone would be able to help me here, I couldn't remember who my friends were to even try asking them about. I still couldn't remember anything clearly except for those amethyst eyes.

I made it to Mr. Lancer's class without too much trouble for my first period. It felt like I'd been here a million times before, but that might just be because I had to come here for two of my four classes. I walked in hesitantly, half expecting to be scolded for showing up late again. I don't know why it would be again, my grades suggested getting to class on time wasn't an issue.

The bald teacher smiled warmly at me, an obvious attempt at keeping me from being too freaked out about being back after so long. It really just came off as slightly creepy.

"It's good to have you back, Richard." I felt a bristle of annoyance at being called by my full name, it sounded too formal. It sounded like something only a frootloop would call me.

I held my annoyance back as I responded. "It's good to be back, sir." I returned his smile, hoping it came off a lot less creepy than his had.

He directed me towards an empty seat next to some guy with an annoyingly bright red hat. On the other side of the boy, there was a goth girl and two empty seats next to her. It would have proven to be a lot easier to see if I was next to the girl instead, but something told me she'd strangle anyone who even came near that seat.

The boy introduced himself. "I'm Tucker. I don't know if you'd remember me or not."

"Rick, but I guess you already know that." This was awkward. Something was screaming at me that I should know this boy, but no memories of him came to mind. The sad thing is that this is the closest I've come to remembering my life. "I honestly don't remember...are we friends?" That question felt even more awkward to ask. This sucks.

"We aren't exactly friends...but you are one of the few jocks that hasn't spent his days shoving us into lockers, so that's gotta count for something." I managed a smile at his weak attempt at humor. This felt familiar, I may not remember who he is but his easy-going demeanor was something I vaguely recognized. I would say he was one of those people that everyone knows, but has no real popularity, but he had just mentioned getting shoved into a locker. He was probably one of the school losers that the thick-headed football team got a kick out of torturing.

As the thought crossed my mind, something made me think about getting picked on by those idiots, but I knew that couldn't have happened to me. Technically, I was one of the jocks and I had a feeling I could kick their asses if they even tried to gang up on me.

Why is it that the few things that fight to make it to the surface of my mind don't add up with everything else I've been told? It's like the key to my whole life, to who I am, is just of out my reach.

"Dude, you okay?" Tucker brought me back out of the thoughts I'd gotten lost in.

I nodded before indicating the girl on the other side of him. "What's with her?"

Tucker glared at me for the admittedly slightly rude question before he answered me. "That's Sam. Life hasn't exactly been the best for either of us over the last few months, but it's hit her worse. She won't let go." He seemed to forget I didn't have a clue what he was talking about, but I didn't bother trying to get more out of him as the girl in question suddenly turned towards us.

"He told me he was coming back, Tucker. I am not going to just let him go when he said he was coming back! You of all people ought to know damn well that when he says he's coming back, he means it!" The whole class was silent now, all eyes were on Sam as her voice had risen over the course of her little rant. She turned to face the class. "What are you looking at? It's not any of you give a damn about him anymore! After all he did for you, none of you even care that he's gone!" Tucker had been fighting to get her attention silently, but as soon as he realized she wasn't going to stop there, he stopped his silent approach and became a little more forceful.

"Sam! Calm down, they don't know." Somehow, this made Sam stop ranting as she looked at her friend.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Forgot they're a bunch of blind idiots who can't see something this obvious." She was clearly still upset about the whole ordeal, but the only thing I got out of it was the answer to why Mr. Lancer hadn't directed me to the seat next to her. He had probably known that would set her off.

Lancer cleared his throat. "Are you okay, Miss. Manson."

Her glare neve left, but she managed a nod in the teacher's direction which seemed to appease him.

She turned back to us, though her attention was mainly on Tucker. "Sometimes I wonder how no one ever figured it out, then these retards remind of just how blind this whole damn town is. How the hell has no one has noticed that both of them disappeared at the same damn time? They're more clueless about their town hero than Danny ever was about anything." I could tell she was only starting in on another rant, but Tucker stopped her.

"I don't mind you ranting at me, but keep in mind who's here." He was talking about me. There was something she was about to go on about that I wasn't supposed to know. Something no one was supposed to know, by the sounds of it.

Sam nodded before looking at me. It was then that I finally noticed her eyes. They had a distinct sadness in them, but that wasn't what I noticed first. They were amethyst, the same eyes I kept remembering when I searched for the memories that made up my life.

* * *

It was getting worse. I was used to blowing up at home when I was alone in my room, or even ranting at Tucker every once in a while when something really set me off, but I never lost control during school. Never. My emotions were under control as long as I was at school. Until today, that is.

I'm not even sure what triggered it, I just lost control and started ranting at the world. How close had I come to revealing Danny's secret? He wasn't here now, but it still wasn't my secret to be telling.

Maybe it was the fact that that guy, Rick, was sitting so close. I had tried to force myself to look past the fact that his accident and my last conversation with Danny happened on the same day, but it still bothered me in the back if my mind. He wasn't Danny though, he couldn't be.

Good god, I was going insane

* * *

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	3. Chapter 3

After meeting Sam, the girl with those amethyst eyes, I tried tracking her down during lunch to talk to her as she did her best to ignore me in class. My attempts failed miserably for several days. I quickly learned that for a girl so hell bent on being individual, she knew how to stay out of sight when she did not want to be found. It took me a week to hunt her down, but what I found was not what I would have hoped to see.

The dumbest of the jocks was handling her way too roughly to be friendly. I could see His knuckles turning white from how tight a grip he held on her upper arm, though she was blatently refusing to show any pain.

"Did you really think you could hide forever, Manson? Now, I have an entire week of wailing to catch up on." Oh, hell no. This had better not be going where I think it is. "How about we start with a classic? Shoving you in your little boyfriend's favorite locker ought to make up for that F I made on yesterday's spelling test."

I was not going to stand by and let this happen. What I planned on doing, I didn't know, but I wasn't going to be the one that sat on the sidelines.

"Let her go, Dash." My voice was even, though somehow it felt like that was almost scarier than if I had yelled.

"Sticking up for losers now, Rick? That crash must have done more brain damage than I thought." He didn't let her go, it actually seemed like his grip tightened to make a point.

"Dash," I growled in what I hoped was a threatening warning. He didn't seemed fazed by it.

"Whatcha gonna do about it, Culver? I've seen you in practice. Your once prize worthy wrestling moves seem to be gone with the rest of your memories." He was right, I couldn't remember any of the moves I was supposedly once good at, but I wasn't going to back down.

"This would your last warning, idiot." I was pissed now and I could feel some foreign energy trying to build in my body, but I passed it off. I was just pissed, it couldn't be anything else.

The good news is he let go of Sam, now distracted by me. The bad news is his fist came flying straight towards me.

Oddly enough, dodging every blow he tried to send my way felt natural. It was easy and required no thought, almost as if it was nothing more than muscle memory. At least something in my body knew who I was even if my brain didn't. Something told me I needed to stop toying around with him and finish this fight before someone got hurt, but I couldn't figure out why for the life of me. Sam had taken off as soon as this idiot let go of her and there was no one else around. Then there was some tiny part of me making some comment about a thermos. I decided I was just hungry; what good could a thermos do in any kind of fight?

Eventually, I gave into the side of me that told me to fight back and protect those around me. A fist of my own flew out after blocking one of the idiot's punches and the rest happened before I fully processed it. I was throwing out blows with more precision than I thought possible and the fight was over in minutes with Dash rather soundly beaten,

I couldn't remember wrestling for anything, but real practical fighting came to me without a second thought? What the hell was that about?

* * *

One day, I swear to you, I am going to snap and actually do some real damage to that bastard. If Dash knew what I really had up my sleeves, maybe he'd leave me alone. I may not show it often, but ghost hunting with Danny gave me plenty of hands-on combat practice. Kicking Dash's sorry ass would be so damn easy if I wasn't afraid of the questions it might raise for me to answer.

Then there was Rick. He had started looking for me during lunch, I was well aware of that, why I didn't know thugh. I had been trying to ignore him during class in order to force myself to stop thinking there was any connection between him and Danny.

Of course, life just can't allow things to go my way and as soon as I started to look past that odd little coincidence, something else happened that was pretty hard to ignore.

When he stood up for me, I could swear for the smallest fractionof a second his eyes flashed that same neon green that Danny's always did when someone pissed him off enough. But that couldn't be possible, could it? It had to have been a trick of the light.

* * *

_Yup, I missed an update...I'm going to make an attempt at getting the next chapter out by Thursday to catch back up on this. Honestly, I haven't been inspired to write much of anything the past few days. Then I got the highest grade in my class on an essay I bull crapped my way through and somehow that got me off my lazy butt to write. Dunno how that worked, it just did._

_Anyways, that's enough rambling... Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	4. Chapter 4

There was a scream in the hall, though it lasted for only a fraction of a second. Why there was a scream in the first place was beyond me until I rounded a corner and saw some guy...floating. A chill ran up my spine and I nearly let out a...shout (not a scream, a shout) when it hit me that nothing normal or from this world should float. And was that thing glowing?

"BEWARE! FOR I AM THE BOX GHOST!" The Box...what...what kind of a name is that? Seriously, Dash could come up with a better name than that and I highly doubt he can spell his own. And ghost? Why does that honestly not freak me out as much as it should once I got past the initial shock. Maybe this type of thing was more common than I remembered.

"Dude, we are really not in the mood today." That sounded like Tucker, though it wasn't hard to figure out what had gotten him in his bad mood- he'd undoubtedly heard about what happened with Sam yesterday.

The ghost thing was talking again, though I didn't catch its words. All I heard was Sam's response of "Will you just shut the hell up?" before he was sucked into a blue light. I haven't got a clue whe the light came from, all I knew was that it had gotten rid of the ghost.

"That idiot seems to be getting more and more annoying." Sam was ranting at Tucker, and it briefly hit me that the halls were empty and odds were that we were either supposed to be in class or hiding.

I was about to walk away when I heard Sam start up again. "Sometimes I swear the ghosts are coming just to make life hell for us. Not everyone, just us, the two loser best friends of the old town hero. The only two people in this town that know everything there is to know about every ghost, but are still too damn powerless to take out anyone stronger than Skulker without Valerie's gear." She sighed, "Somedays I don't think we're even making a difference anymore."

Tucker cut in. "Just because we need help doesn't mean we should just give up. Danny fought tooth and nail for the low activity we have now. Compared to when that portal first opened, this is nothing. Danny would have kicked our asses for putting ourselves in the line of fire, but he wouldn't have wanted us to stop fighting for his town, our town." I really should have walked away by now, but I kept listening, even though this was starting to get into things they hadn't wanted me to know about.

"I know. I won't stop hunting, it's one of the few things I have left of him. That doesn't change the fact that I feel helpless half the time. After two years of being the sidekick of Danny freaking Phantom, you'd think we'd be able to deal with more than Skulker. This is freaking ridiculous! Sure, the Box Ghost doesn't cause any problems, but he hardly counts, Skulker can catch him for god's sake! Guys like Technus should not be throwing us for a loop and yet we've nearly gotten ourselves killed by Ember and Bertrand in the past month alone! Hell, if it weren't for Valerie, we would have gotten killed!" Danny Phantom? I'd heard about his sudden disappearance around school, but I never would have guess Sam and Tucker would have been so close to him. But at the same time, they were talking about him the same way they had been talking about Danny, their best friend, when I first met them. They couldn't be the same person right? No, their Danny had died nearly two months ago and Phantom was around long before that. Ghosts can't die for a second time.

There was a moment of silence before I heard Sam chuckle at something in that way that tells you there really wasn't anything funny about what she was laughing at. "All of this would happen to us. We all wanted to be more than just the loser trio the whole damn school shoved in lockers, and we got it. We got a half-ghost best friend, one hell of a lot more responsibility than any highschooler should have and one of us got killed because of it." Though I couldn't see her from my position hidden in the doorway to the nearest bathroom (somehow, I never had a problem finding a bathroom even if I never could find anything else in this school) I could tell Sam was fighting back tears. Whatever she was thinking of hurt her a lot, even though I'd only known her fr a week, I could tell she wasn't one to let her emotions out easily.

I heard the pair slide down the wall, probably to sit on the floor.

"None of this shit is fair! We finally admitted how we felt for each other and we get torn away from each other. What the hell did we ever do to deserve this? All of us have fought to help this town, and yet life still decided to just kill off Danny for the hell of it mid battle." I heard her trying to choke down a sob. "I just want him back, Tucker," she whispered. "Damnit! I want Danny back. Where the hell is he?"

She was breaking down and I fought the urge to run and comfort her. I didn't want to know that Sam was hurting and there wasn't anything I could do to help her. I wasn't even supposed to be here, they probably wouldn't be too happy with me if they knew I'd heard them.

"It's gonna be okay, Sam." At least Tucker was there to help her though this even if I couldn't. Why did it feel like I should be the one comforting her, not Tucker? Tucker was a much closer friend than I was, she'd probably benefit more from him than me, and yet in the back of my mind, it felt like I should still be by her side, it felt like I belonged there. Maybe it was just because I'd heard her breaking down.

The bell rang for lunch just as I was about to try to figure out what class I was technically supposed to be in rather than listening to them. I hurried to get out of their way so they wouldn't see me as they made their way to the bench just outside the cafeteria where they always sat.

I took my own seat just a few feet away from them and was just about to actually start eating when something sent a sudden chill up my spine. I tensed on instinct and tried to hold back the sudden breath of air that seemed hellbent one escaping.

What could have possibly caused that?

* * *

I seriously need to pull myself together! Breaking down in the middle of the hall, no matter how deserted, wasn't something I could let happen on a regular basis. I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time, but I still said way too much. If anyone had been listening, they could have easily figured out Danny's secret and heard more about my non-existant, yet still somehow royally fucked up, love life than I care to have the public eye know. This was getting out of control.

I was still mentally scolding myself as I took a seat in my normal spot for lunch. The hallway may be closer to the lockers of doom, but there were few kids for teachers to watch out here and therefore a slightly lower chance that anyone could really do anything to me.

Rick was sitting not too far off, though I didn't notice it until I saw him tense out of the corner of my eye. Then, I saw what most people would just assumed was someone trying to hold back a cough. I nearly thought it was that too, but something nagged at me that I knew better than that. Danny used to do the exact same thing when his ghost sense went off...

No. It wasn't possible. I will not get my hopes up over nothing.

* * *

_...I think I said I'd get this up yesterday..then I nearly fell asleep sitting trying Yao write and thus, you get it now. Deal with it. : P_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	5. A Slightly Sad AN

_As much as I hate to do this to you all, I am afraid I have an announcement to make._

_I will not be updating this or any other story of mine for at least two weeks. Why? Because for my own reasons, I need to get away from the fanfiction and the whole DP fandom for a little bit. The things I see within the show and its characters is only making somethings harder for me. Sorry, but I really need to get away from it for a while for my own mental/emotional health._

_I am NOT abandoning this story or any of my others, there just will not be any updates for a few weeks._

* * *

_invisible One_


	6. Chapter 6

The rushes of cold air came several more times in the following days, though I just couldn't figure out what was causing it. The only pattern I really got out of it was that they happened right before Tucker's PDA started going off and he and Sam made up some bull crap excuse before running out of the classroom. Whatever was causing it, I had to just assume that they were better equipped to handle it than I was.

Still, that didn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I really ought to know why these gasps of cold air kept coming. It was bugging me that I couldn't seem to get such a simple thing off my mind. It was bad enough even Lancer saw it.

He stopped me as I was about to walk out and head to my final class of the day. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes, Richard?"

I shrugged. "As long as you'll call me Rick instead of Richard for the duration of this talk." It wasn't like I was likely to get any farther today than any other day in wrestling.

"Very well. I've noticed you've been a bit spaced out that past few days. Is there something bothering you?" Yes, but I somehow doubted it was important enough to go to him about it.

"No, everything's fine, Mr. Lancer. Just trying to get back into the swing of things." I gave a smile that even I wouldn't have believed was genuine, but it was the best I had.

"If you're sure. Just know my door is always open to you, Rick. I know it must be hard trying to "get back into the swing of things" without your memories." He gave a smile that came off as being much more genuine than my own had been.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Lancer." Who knows, maybe if things get much weirder, I might actually go talk to him. Tucker and Sam would be the obvious choices and the closest things to friends I even had anymore, but they had enough on their plate on their plate without having to listen to my wierd crap.

He nodded in acknowledgement and sent me on my way with a pass to class. I walked slowly, really not wanting to go embarrass myself in the gym again, but I only managed to waste a grand total of fifteen minutes of class time. Yay, I still had half an hour for my daily dose of embarrassment.

As expected, I failed miserably, succeeding only in keeping myself from falling into the more practical hand to hand combat that came to me naturally. Several times, I had to stop and remind myself that this was wrestling, not hand to hand combat. It was almost as if the thought of any sort of fight immediately took me into that...trance, as if it was something I'd done a million times.

But everything I knew about the life I had supposedly led most certainly did not point to me knowing how to really fight, much less doing so on a regular basis.

In the end, it probably looked like I'd try to punch everyone on my team at least once. That was sure to piss them all off, and piss them off it did as I quickly found out in the locker rooms after practice.

Someone punched my arm. "What the hell was that for?" I should know this guy's name, but I didn't.

"What?" I knew what he was likely talking about, but I was going to make sure there wasn't any other thing that had royally pissed him, or the others, off.

"It looked like you were about to pound the shit out of all of us out there." I glared at him as I noticed the rest of my team was slowly starting to circle around. This wasn't going to end well.

"I used to be one of the best, now I can't remember my life much less what the hell I'm supposed to do in a match. I think I have a bit of a right to be just a touch pissed off." I felt that same power I'd been holding back for so long gradually start building up again; something told me I needed to watch it or my eyes would end up flashing.

"It's not like you ever really belonged with us before anyway, but now? Now you're protecting and hanging around with geeks, and you're turning on all of us. I think it's time for you to get the hell off our team. You don't belong here." The rest of the team was in a tight circle around me and I realized I wasn't going to end up just fighting off this one guy, I would have to fight them all to get out of here. I looked to the exit, but there was no way in hell I would be able to get to it.

I was trapped.

Even though I knew what was about to break loose, I didn't shy away and I didn't throw the first punch. The honor of throwing punch number one belonged to the guy that confronted me in the first place. After that, I felt an odd, yet strangely familiar, power surge behind my eyes and let myself fall into the trance I'd been fighting to stay out of all practice.

I kept dodging and ducking, only throwing out punches of my own when I really needed to. These idiots weren't very bright, but they were also currently stronger than I was. They gradually backed me into a corner as my limited strength began to fail. I hadn't had a real workout in weeks before yesterday, and that gave the rest of the team a distinct advantage over me.

They had me trapped against the wall and honestly was about to get my ass kicked when something in the back of my mind told me I could go through that damn wall if I just tried. It was probably the result of fear that made me decide to listen to the metaphorical voice inside my head and try. It wasn't like I had much to lose and quite frankly it was being a better friend than my teammates.

I willed myself to go through the wall, and the next thing I knew, I was quite literally falling through the wall. How this was possible, I didn't have a clue, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I made a run for it, not really knowing where I was going until my feet landed me in front of Lancer's room. It was as good a place as any to hide and he had said his door was always open to me.

The door was open, so I walked in. Lancer looked up at me. "Back so soon?"

"Ran into a little trouble in the locker room." My hand went to the back of my neck of its own accord.

"Ah. Well, if you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you." I nodded and was silent for a moment before deciding I might as well talk to him about both the locker room incident and the weird crap that's been happening lately. He seemed like the kind of teacher who wasn't the best at being casual around his students, but really did care about them. That, and it wasn't like I really had anyone else to talk to.

* * *

I walked down the halls slowly, MP3 player in hand as I waited for the streets to empty so I could walk home in relative peace.

_You took my hand, you showed me how  
__You promised me you'd be around.  
__Yeah, huh, that's right.  
__I took your words and I believed  
__In everything you said to me.  
__Yeah, huh, that's right._

_If someone said three years from now,  
__You'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out.  
__Cause they're all wrong.  
__I know better, cause you said forever.  
__And ever, who knew?_

_Remember when we were such fools,  
__And so convinced and just too cool?  
__Oh no, no no  
__I wish I could touch you again  
__I wish I could still call you a friend.  
__I'd give anything._

_When someone said count your blessings now  
__'Fore they're long gone  
__I guess I just didn't know how  
__I was all wrong.  
__They knew better, still you said forever.  
__And ever, who knew?_

_I'll keep you locked in my head until we meet again.  
__Until we, until we meet again.  
__I won't forget you my friend  
__What happened?_

_When someone said three years from now,  
__You'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out  
__Cause they're all wrong and  
__That last kiss, I'll cherish  
__Until we meet again._

_And time makes it harder  
__I wish I could remember.  
__But I'll keep, your memory  
__You visit me in my sleep,  
__My darling, who knew?_

_My darling, who knew?  
__My darling, I miss you.  
__My darling, who knew?  
__Who knew?_

That song was on repeat more times than I cared to count these days. There were just too many parallels between it and my life to turn it off. What can I say? I really wasn't willing to let Danny go yet, or any other time in the remotely near future either. Even though I didn't realize it until it was too late, Danny was everything to me. He's the only reason I ever learned how to maintain a friendship, partially because he was always so hell bent on keeping ours together. It's hard to let go of a bond like that.

"And that's not even the weirdest part of the whole thing." I was just outside Lancer's classroom, and it sounded an awful lot like that was Rick talking to him. I should walk away now, this wasn't my conversation, but I couldn't move as his next words rang out. "I know this is going to sound like I've lost my mind and sanity, but I swear I to you, I went _through_ the wall and very nearly fell flat on my face on the other side because I wasn't expecting it. I don't know what's going on. I feel like I should be comfortable and familiar with all this stuff, but I can't remember anything about this crap or anything else!"

That's the point when my mind finally kicked in and I left.

I ran. I ran through the halls, past Tucker waiting outside, and all the way home.

With what I just heard, it was getting really, really hard not to believe that Rick could possibly be Danny.

* * *

_Sam! Stop acting like me!_

_Sam: You're the one writing me._

_You do that even when it's not me writing you!_

_Sam: Aren't you forgetting something?_

_Oh!_

_First off, the song lyrics most certainly do not belong to me. They belong to P!nk and her song "Who Knew."_

_Second off..._

_I HAVE RETURNED! :P I think I've gotten my life under enough control for now...as long as it waits at least a few weeks to try screwing with me again..._

_(Alright...we're going to make an attempt at a semi-formal thank you...)_

_Thanks to everyone who left me such kind words when I announced that I needed to take a break. You guys really bring a smile to my face. ^_^_

_Anyways, comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	7. Chapter 7

Lancer listened to my seemingly crazy story without any form of judgement or disapproval coming over his features. He just listened with full attention, as if this wasn't the absolute weirdest thing he'd ever heard. I had to commend him for that, even in this town this seriously had to be some pretty crazy shit. How could a human phase through walls?

I finished my tale and watched the expressions on Lancer's face; if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was starting to figure something out. "That certainly is quite the story, and were this any other town I'm sure you would be written off as insane."

I laughed just a bit. "I lived it and I'm still not convinced I'm not just out of my mind." It was true, nothing about any of what had happened seemed even remotely possible and yet it had somehow happened. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd fight it if someone did try to get me written off as insane.

"That's quite a mystery you've got on your hands. It almost reminds me of a student I used to have. He passed away recently, but he always had an air of mystery about him, and even though I could never figure out what his role was in the world, anyone paying attention would have known he was doing something great." Lancer let out a chuckle of his own as he disappeared into his memories for a few minutes. "That didn't save his grades though, or his hide when it came to his parents or detention. Danny was a good kid and probably didn't deserve half the things life out him through, but he just took it." His face couldn't quite seem to decide whether to smile at the memories or show sadness at Danny's death. "I've gotten off topic though. I wish I could be of more help to you, Rick, but I really don't know anything about what you're reporting. Even if I can't help, I'll always be here to listen." Lancer gave me a warm smile before I took off.

"Thanks, Mr. Lancer." I walked out the door but paused as I heard the teacher start talking to himself.

"I really do wish Danny would've come to me like that when his life so obviously changed drastically. I knew he was doing something important, but I couldn't help him because he never bold me." He chuckled to himself before speaking again. "I swear, with as much as that boy ran off, he could have been..." I practically heard the lightbulb in his head click on. "Oh...if that's it...that certainly explains a lot..." was clear Lancer had just solved some huge mystery in his life, what it was I couldn't guess though.

* * *

"Tucker, I swear to you I'm not joking. I know what I heard." Tucker wasn't believing what I told him; he refused to believe the conversation I'd overheard.

"Sam, I know it's been hard on you lately, but are you absolutely sure that's what you heard? You're saying he went through a wall, but the only humans capable of that are Danny, Danielle and Vlad, three people we know Rick isn't." I wasn't sure why Tucker was being so critical considering all the weird shit we've seen in our lives.

"That's the thing though, Tuck. What if it is Danny?"

"If it was Danny, he'd tell us, Sam." I would have let Tucker have his point if it weren't for one important detail.

"How could he tell us who he is if he can't remember anything about his life? You know as well as I do that he has no memory. Why is this too farfetched for you to believe me?" I was getting desperate. I needed Tucker on my side, he was all I had left.

"I want to believe you Sam, I really do. I just don't want to gt my hopes up only to have them get crushed." Tucker looked me in the eye. "Sam, believe what you want to and don't take it personally if I try to distance myself from your theories. One of us needs to be able to stay strong if you're wrong, and you need that hope more than I do." He smiled at me as I tried to piece together why he was so hell bent on being the strong one, that was normally my job. Was he really that worried about me?

I hadn't figured it out by the next school day when I fought to ignore Rick in class, I didn't want to risk looking like I knew more than I was supposed to. It might freak him out a bit if I kept staring and looking for answers.

Near the end of the class, Lancer walked over and discreetly dropped a note on my desk.

_Sam and Tucker, please come see me during lunch._

Shit. What had we done now? Maybe he was just getting fed up with us running off the same way Danny always did. If only he knew about half the things we deal with on a daily basis.

The lunch bell rang at the end of second period, just as it always does with our blocked schedules, and Tuck and I walked slowly back to Lancer's room. Knocked on the door before entering the nearly empty classroom. "Mr. Lancer? You wanted to see us?"

"Miss Manson, Mr. Foley. Thank you for coming." He was acting friendly enough, so we weren't in trouble, but why were we here?

"I hate to rush you, Mr. Lancer, but why are we here?" Tucker had practically read my mind and asked my question for me.

"Actually, at the risk of sounding insane if I'm wrong, I wanted to ask you something, about Danny." I wasn't really sure if I liked whe this was going, but I wasn't going to stop him, not yet.

"Ask away, Mr. Lancer."

"I think I've figured out where Mr. Fenton was always running off to. Danny was Phantom, wasn't he?" That froze me for a moment. Lancer had really figured it out.

"How? How did you figure it out?" I was just a touch too shocked to ask anything else. Lancer had really figured out Danny's secret, no sisterly spying required.

"It was actually a conversation with another student that led my musings to the answer." He paused. "You know, you three could have told me, I could have helped you."

I shook my head. "Danny didn't want anyone else in the line of fire from his enemies. Honestly, if we hadn't been there when the portal accident happened, I'm not convinced he would have told us before we figured it out."

Lancer nodded in understanding. "I can understand that; Danny was a good kid, I can see him doing that. Just answer me one thing before you go. Are you two finishing his job every time you run out of class with a half baked lie of an excuse?" Tuck and I nodded, not really sure where Lancer was going with this.

The teacher sighed, then spoke again. "I thought as much. As much as I really don't like the idea of you two running off to ghost hunt, I won't stop you. You're probably better trained to handle it than anyone else. Just let me know that's where you really were sometime during the same school day, and I'll find a way of getting you out of detention."

"Thanks, Mr. Lancer." I put on the closest thing to smile anyone had seen out of me since Danny's death.

* * *

_Internet. Why must you die on me? :O_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always!_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	8. Chapter 8

Through the wall. I had managed to get myself to go THROUGH the wall. The little chills I kept getting were distracting before, but this was impossible to forget about for even a small amount of time. I know this is a really weird and screwed up little town, but humans should not be able to go through freaking walls!

The worst bit is that and those random chills are the only things that come anywhere near feeling familiar in my head. My life was frustrating. Everyday, I fought to remember who the hell I was, but nothing that actually happened lines up with what people told me my life ought to be like. Nothing makes sense, and I hate it. I don't like going into things without at least half a clue as to what the hell is going on, I feel like I'll make a fool of myself!

Days slowly passed, but my predicament only got worse and worse. It started off as accidently...what was the word? Phasing? Yeah, phasing. It started off as accidentally phasing through a locker room wall, then it turned into parts of my body phasing out of existence without will or warning. I'm just damn lucky nothing that couldn't be hidden occurred outside the privacy of my own room with the exception of the one time Lancer pointed out my head was missing during an after-school tutoring session. It took me a good ten minutes to make my missing head reappear. Several times, I had beakers fall through my hand and crash on the floor into a million pieces. I just couldn't figure out how to stop it or get it under control. My mind told me I should know the trigger, but my memories were failing to inform me of what it was.

Then there was Sam and Tucker. Those two were confusing me to no end. Sam seemed to be trying to get a little closer to me and was definitely paying more attention to me, while Tucker resisted the urge to do the same and seemed to push away a little more every time Sam got a little closer. I couldn't figure them out, though I had a feeling they knew more about what the hell was going on than I did. I couldn't tell if they had noticed when parts of my body decided not to exist for a while, but something was putting me rather firmly on their radar.

I came across them arguing in the hall after school one day and wasn't as ready as I thought I was to hear what they had to say.

"Sam, I know what you believe, but that's not enough for me to give in. Maybe you're right, but maybe you aren't and if we find out otherwise, this town can't afford for both of us to out of commission for a few days. I've told you my reasoning, and as soon as you can prove it to me without a shadow of a doubt, I'll jump on board, but I can't do that now. Not yet."

"How the hell can you doubt it, Tucker? All the signs are there, as far as I'm concerned! The dates add up and he's going through the exact same period of no control that Danny did!"

"Because that doesn't mean anything! Coincidences happen, Sam! And the lack of control doesn't mean he's got Danny's ghost half. It's probably just another stupid ghost virus that we haven't been able to take out yet! You remember the time Bertrand and Spectra made those stupid bugs!"

"It isn't another ghost virus! There would be more than just him with it if that was the case!"

"I hate to do this to you Sam, but you need to let go. Danny's dead, and he isn't coming back. The only possible way for Rick to possibly be Danny is if he's being possessed and we both know Danny wouldn't do that!" Tucker shook his head. "It's time to let him go, Sam. I know this isn't easy on you, but you can't keep holding on forever, you're just hurting yourself. Danny would kill me for letting anyone hurt you, especially yourself." Tucker turned on his heel and walked off, leaving Sam alone in the hall, leaning against the lockers.

"But it wasn't his choice," she whispered to herself as she watched the retreating form of Tucker.

Sam sang something softly to herself, I didn't catch much of it though.

_"Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?  
__Always a bigger bed to crawl into.  
__Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything,  
__And everybody believed in you?"_

I'm not sure what I had to do with what they had been fighting about, but I could hear Sam losing her hope in her voice. It hurt me to watch her slowly breaking down in front of me as she slid down the lockers she had been leaning on. She was silent, but I could see the silent sobs she fought to hold back.

It hurt my heart to see Sam breaking down again. My Sam doesn't let little things break down her walls and when she gets like this, there's one hell of a reason.

My Sam? Why the hell did I just think that?

I walked up to her without thinking. Tucker had walked off and I wasn't going to leave her alone. Whatever was going on, she didn't need to be alone through this. She didn't acknowledge me at first, so I sat down beside her, questioning whether or not it would be okay to put my arm around her. I decided against it as she finally turned to look at me.

"You gonna be okay?" I knew better than to ask the standard "Are you okay?" when she so obviously wasn't.

"Eventually." She managed to give me a small smile underneath the few tears still wet on her face. She seemed to notice them and quickly wiped them away. "God, I'm being pathetic, breaking down in the middle of the hallway."

"No, you aren't being pathetic. Your emotions are just getting tired of being bottled up." I tried to look her in the eye, but she kept her gaze firmly on the ground, as if she was trying to keep me from seeing just how bad of shape she was in. "It's clear you need to talk to someone, Sam."

She let out a weak laugh. "It would help if I had someone to talk to."

"Tucker's that bad, huh?" Sam laughed again.

"He tries, but he's not the best listener. He's more there to make you laugh and save your ass in the most unlikely of ways." I let out a laugh of my own.

"I don't know, but I'll take your word for it." I stopped before deciding she really ought to know I had heard their fight. "Do you think he'll get over whatever you two were fighting about?" Sam's breath caught for a moment.

"You heard that, huh?" I nodded. "How much did you hear?"

"Most of it. I don't know what I had to do with anything, though. If I did something, you should tell me what it was."

"You didn't do anything, we just came to a disagreement over what something meant." I gave her a questioning look, to which she hesitated only a moment before responding. "Some things we've seen...our friend went through the same thing."

I tried to keep my eyes form lighting up at the idea that someone might just know what the hell was happening to me, but I know I failed. "Could you help me then?" Stupid! She just broke down in the middle of the damn hall not ten minutes ago, and you're asking her for help?

"That's kinda what we were fighting over. The answer's yes if I'm right, but Tucker isn't on board with me yet."

"Is there any way I can convince him?"

Sam shook her head. "I honestly don't know if he can be convinced without you figuring it out on your own. I would help you on my own, but Tucker is the only one with access to the files I would need and no one gets past one of his security systems. No one." I nodded, I had heard Tucker was pretty damn good with anything electronic.

She suddenly stood up. "It was good talking to you, but I really need to go before I say something I'll regret. Bye Rick." Sam walked off, just like that. One hand reaching up to wipe away the last remaining evidence of her break down as she slowly walked out the doors.

* * *

I said way too much. I know that's Danny in there, but he doesn't know that and trying to tell him he's the reincarnation of my dead best friend wouldn't go over too well until he realized one his own that he isn't who he thinks he is. God, that's going to be hell on him when he figures it out, but if anyone else tries to tell him, it will only take longer.

He is right about one thing though, I need someone to talk to. I should not be breaking down in the middle of the damn hall. I'll accept it happening at home in the privacy of my own locked room, but not out in public like that. I don't want people seeing me when I'm weak. It can't happen again. It just can't. I have got to pull myself together.

* * *

_...wow...I seriously forgot about the last update... I'm really sorry about that, I had something resembling a life for once and completely blanked on it._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

_Oh! And the random lyrics aren't mine! Those belong to Taylor Swift's Innocent._

* * *

_Invisible One_


	9. Chapter 9

It felt like everyone knew more about my life than I did. Okay, so maybe only Sam, and by extension Tucker, had actually said they knew more than I did, but everyone gave me those same looks, the ones that silently scream at you that there's something you don't know. I don't know if they really did all know something I didn't or if it was just my imagination going wild, but it bugged me to no end, and the strange occurrences that my mind swore to God I should be familiar with were not helping. I know it's kinda a given that life will be hell after losing your memory, but was it really this bad for everyone else? I know for a fact that most people don't have their damn heads disappearing mid-conversation.

That's another thing, my constant phasing and the random shivers were only getting worse, and I could not figure out how to even pretend I could control it for the life of me. Sam kept swearing she couldn't help, no matter how many times I talked to her behind Tucker's back, but I had a feeling she wasn't telling me everything. My theory is that she has an idea of what to do, but doesn't want to get my hopes up before she can find some way of proving it.

I wish I could stay frustrated with her, but those damn eyes make it so hard...

Okay...moving on.

I stayed after school one day, ranting to Lancer about all these things. For a teacher, he really is a good listener when you just need someone to rant at. Midway through my latest rant, I stopped dead in my tracks as Sam entered without Tucker by her side for once. I caught myself staring, but I couldn't quite convince myself to stop until she gave me a questioning look.

Great. I'm developing a crush on someone I hardly know when I don't even know who the hell I am. That's bound to end well.

"Is there something I can do for you, Miss Manson?"

Sam looked like she was about to shake her head, then nod it, but decided against both in the end. "I don't know, I really came here to help Rick."

Lancer gave Sam a questioning look, and it took me a moment to realize that while I have ranted on and on about how someone knows more than they let on, I never actually gave him a name.

"She knows about...all this weird crap, Mr. Lancer." The bald teacher nodded before Sam opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm not sure if it'll work, but I have an idea about how you can get your phasing under control."

* * *

_Yup...it's a mini-chapter... I hate doing it, but it must be done. My teachers...they've gone into full cramming mode for EOCs...NO. FREE-TIME. AT. ALL. O_O I can't even mentally plan anymore. I think I'm going to lose my mind and sanity. O_O_

_Good news is I plan on getting at least another mini-chapter out tomorrow, if not something closer to full length._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	10. Chapter 10

I looked into Sam's eyes, trying to make sure there wasn't any hint of this being a cruel, twisted joke in them. I knew she wasn't the kind of person to do something like that, but I still couldn't get past the natural urge to check for any signs of deception. It was built in, as if I'd been screwed over way too many times to just believe something without even a moment of hesitation.

Naturally, there was nothing off about the look in Sam's eyes, but I did have to force myself to stop staring after a moment. I really needed to get that under control now before it gets any worse. I mentally shook my head, trying to get my emotions in check before nodding at Sam to continue.

"I really don't know if it will work, but it's the best idea I can think of. What if you tried to train your phasing to happen on command?" I think I gave her a blank look because she sighed, muttered something I couldn't quite catch, then continued. "If you can train it to happen on command, then in theory you should also be able to find the trigger and keep it from happening on accident."

"Okay...I think I follow you. I'll try that, thanks." Sam smiled, and I had to once more force myself not to stare. I really didn't have a clue as to why guys were so hell bent on staying away from her, even with her dark clothes, make up, and outlook on life, she was a rather pretty girl. You'd think they'd be swarming around her, but Tucker was the only friendly guy I ever saw around her and I knew he would never be more than just a friend to her. Honestly, if I wasn't so busy trying to figure out who I was, I would have probably spent some time getting closer to her and eventually asking her out; it wasn't like I was her best friend or anything, so it really wouldn't be that weird.

I nearly gave in and asked if she wanted to go to the Nasty Burger with me or something, but my phone rang out fro my pocket, announcing a text from my dad who wanted me home for dinner. Apparently Wednesdays were our night, but I was still getting used to it. Even though he swore it had been that way since middle school, it still felt off for some reason. I excused myself from the room quickly, ignoring the murmurs of a new conversation taking place between Sam and Mr. Lancer.

Amazingly, I managed to get through dinner preparations without any limbs disappearing from existence, but that didn't mean nothing weird happened. It was a little thing, easily hidden, but I still couldn't figure it out. I nicked my thumb with the knife while cutting a pepper, and noticed something out of the ordinary.

Why the hell were there green specks in my blood?

* * *

I watched as Rick left with a slightly disappointed look on his face, like there was something he wanted to say, but didn't get a chance to. I dismissed it, it probably wasn't anything important anyway.

"If you don't mind me asking, where did your theory come from?" Oh, right. This was Lancer's room, he was still here.

"Danny went through the same period of no control, and I just remembered something he said hen he finally managed to get his powers under control." He'd said his powers seemed to have a mind of their own before he taught them to respond to command. I had thought it was such an odd thing for him to say at the time, and that's probably the only reason I actually remembered it now.

"How long did it take him to figure it out?" I laughed remembering all the funny/embarrassing moments we'd gone through when Danny was still trying to figure out how his ghost half worked. Lancer had only see Danny's pants fall, but that wasn't the worst of it. For the first week, he was constantly phasing out of everything, and his powers had no sense of decency. I may or may not have seen...things once or twice because of it.

"It took him a week to stop phasing out of anything he tried to wear, and another month or so to figure the rest out. Do you remember when he managed to drop over thirty beakers in less than a month?"

Lancer smiled. "Yes, I was on the verge of seeing if such a thing as rubber beakers existed by the end of that." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but I can't say I wouldn't have wondered the same thing if I was the one trying to figure out how to pay to replace all those shattered beakers.

"Dropping things because he'd find himself missing an arm was his biggest issue there for a while, rivaled only by phasing out of his pants." I chuckled before coming to a split second decision to try telling him my theory.

"Mr. Lancer, could I tell you something, no matter how seemingly insane, without you thinking I've lost my mind?"

* * *

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	11. Chapter 11

I stared at the spot on my finger where I had cut myself earlier. Even though it had long since healed over (yet another weird thing I really wanted to ignore), I couldn't stop seeing the green that had appeared earlier. Blood was supposed to just be red. Green specks of whatever the hell that was is not a part of human biology!

Good god, what the hell have I done to wind up like this? I lose my memory in a crash, and now I have all this weird shit I can't control or make sense of acting up too! Sam won't tell me anything, and while the one bit of advice she did give me is helping some, I still haven't managed to get any of this fully under control.

Nothing makes sense to me. The life I'm supposed to have led and the life I'm discovering are two completely different things. If it were possible, I'd have just said screw it and given up by now, but how can I do that when it's the memories that make up who I am on the line? Nothing make sense, nothing. How can I be expected to figure anything out when absolutely nothing makes and fucking sense?!

Calm down, Rick. Yelling at yourself inside your head is not going to help things at all. If I can calm down a bit, maybe I'll be able to make sense of something, even if it has nothing to do with what I want to know. Honestly, it wouldn't matter what I figure out, just about anything would get me farther along than where I am now. Anything would be better than sitting in a constant state of frustration over the answers I'm just not finding.

What do I know?

Uh...that the town's ghost weirdness seems to revolve around me.

Okay, that's a start. Now why does it revolve around you?

How the hell should I know? And why the hell am I talking to myself as if I'm two different people?

Think. Sam and Tucker know more than they're letting on, they've probably dropped hints somewhere along the line. I've just got to find the clues.

_"He told me he was coming back, Tucker. I am not going to just let him go when he said he was coming back! You of all people ought to know damn well that when he says he's coming back, he means it!"_

_"How the hell has no one has noticed that both of them disappeared at the same damn time? They're more clueless about their town hero than Danny ever was about anything."_

Danny Phantom? I'd heard about his sudden disappearance around school, but I never would have guessed Sam and Tucker would have been so close to him. But at the same time, they were talking about him the same way they had been talking about Danny, their best friend, when I first met them.

_"We got a half-ghost best friend."_

...holy shit...Danny, their best friend, was half-ghost. Why did that just set in now? But if he was half-ghost, then, in theory, shouldn't he have had a ghost form?

_"How the hell has no one has noticed that both of them disappeared at the same damn time?"_

Unless… They talked about Danny and Phantom as if they were the same person, something I'd caught onto a while ago, but what if it was because they were the same person? Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom. But, there's just no way…right?

Lancer had solved some huge mystery surrounding Fenton not too long ago, saying that he ran off enough that he could have been… I never heard the end of that thought, but was it possible he had figured out the same thing I just did?

Maybe it isn't such a crazy thing to think then.

But what does Danny have to do with me?

_"Sam, I know what you believe, but that's not enough for me to give in. Maybe you're right, but maybe you aren't and if we find out otherwise, this town can't afford for both of us to out of commission for a few days. I've told you my reasoning, and as soon as you can prove it to me without a shadow of a doubt, I'll jump on board, but I can't do that now. Not yet."_

_"How the hell can you doubt it, Tucker? All the signs are there, as far as I'm concerned! The dates add up and he's going through the exact same period of no control that Danny did!"_

No...no...there is no fucking way. It just can't be.

What if I'm not who I think I am?

* * *

"I'm here to listen, Miss Manson, no matter how insane your idea might seem."

"I'm going to hold you to that." I took a deep breath, being fully aware that he would have every right to deem me a nutcase after he heard this, regardless of what he might say. "After Danny died, there was one night when I heard from him again. He said he'd be back. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have put much faith in it, but that one phrase, those three little words, are as good a promise as any for him. No matter how many times he'd run off to a potentially deadly battle, he'd always promise he'd be back and he never once broke that promise.

"Maybe I should just figure that life finally caught up to him and death is done letting him get away, but I can't believe that. Something forced him away that night, and I can't help thinking of how Danny disappeared on me again right around the same time as Rick's crash and now Rick seems to be developing the powers of Danny's ghost half…and...I think that might be Danny in there. As crazy as it sounds, I think that's Danny in there somewhere, even if he doesn't know it yet."

Lancer seemed to be considering my idea, and for a moment, I thought he might have decided I was in need of mental help, but that's not what his response told me. "Mr. Fenton did lead a rather unique life. Honestly, if I didn't know what I do, I might just think you had lost your mind, Miss Manson, but in this case, I must concede that you may have very well figured it out." He paused. "You weren't planning on telling him this, were you?"

I shook my head. "No. He needs to realize he isn't who he thinks he is on his own before I tell the truth. He'll never believe it if he doesn't figure it out on his own."

The teacher nodded. "I agree with you, Samantha. You can't tell him yet, but you should try to help him remember. Perhaps you could find a way of reintroducing his ghost hunting, something tells me that would be the easiest thing for him to remember of his past life."

"I really hope he can remember how to hunt. This whole town might be screwed if he can't. Tuck and I can only keep things under control for so long." I smiled, but it was evident that Lancer didn't find it to be nearly as funny as I did. Ah, the cost of a slightly twisted sense of humor.

At least I know I'm not crazy now.

* * *

_You have received and update, you may now rejoice. :P_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	12. Chapter 12

What if I wasn't who I thought I was? The question latched itself onto my mind and would not let me go. What if it was true? Sure, I didn't really remember who the hell I supposedly was to begin with, but still. This really doesn't fall into the small pile of shit I can deal with right now. It's bad enough I still can't keep myself fully human sometimes, but now I've got this bombshell of a question looming over my head?

Life? Are you done fucking with me now? I mean, seriously. All of this is freaking ridiculous and I'm not sure how much more of it I can really take without completely losing my mind.

Sadly, this rather screwed up question of a revelation was probably the only theory I had that could ever possibly make any semblance of actual sense. But if I wasn't who everyone kept telling me I was, then who the hell am I?

_"How the hell can you doubt it, Tucker? All the signs are there, as far as I'm concerned! The dates add up and he's going through the exact same period of no control that Danny did!"_

The memory only served to remind me I knew exactly who I could be, but I sure as hell did not have to accept it. From what I've gathered, this Danny character lead one hell of a life, and not always in the good way. I've heard stories of Phantom showing up time and time again after fights that would have killed any human. Half ghost or not, I really don't think I want to know how his human half did manage stay alive. How did no one notice all the bruises and other injuries he was sure to have been constantly showing up with? Danny cheated death again and again, what if I couldn't do that?

I wasn't a hero. I did the right thing when someone needed me to, but I wasn't a hero. I couldn't do the same shit Danny would have.

_But you are Danny, and if he could do this, so can you._

No! Damn it! I am not cut out for this crap. I don't care if it turns out I really am Fenton, I can't put myself into all the piles of shit he did over the course of one day.

_But what do you do once you realize only you can help?_

Who cares if I'm the only one who can help! I can't face those dangers! I just want to be me, I don't want to be someone else's idea of a fucking superhero!

_What happened to doing the right thing?_

That was before we started talking about things that could potentially kill me!

_Because you definitely knew Dash couldn't beat you to bloody pulp when you stood up for Sam._

That was different! I couldn't sit back and let him beat her like that!

_So when ghosts pick on innocent people, that's okay now?_

Shut up! You're just a voice in my head! Why the hell am I even entertaining you?

_Because I'm right, and you know it._

Okay, this is getting a little creepy now. I'm talking to a voice inside my head. More importantly, I'm having an argument with myself...and losing. I have officially lost what little bit of my sanity I still had.

I guess there was really only one thing I could do - talk to Sam. If anyone knows anything about this, it'd be her. But what if I'm just misinterpreting her words? I don't want to hurt her by bringing up Danny.

_Do it._

Didn't I tell you to shut the hell up?

_Talk to Sam and I'll go away._

Fine.

* * *

I walked slowly to the Nasty Burger, not really knowing what to expect. Rick had asked me to meet him here to talk about something, but he refused to tell me what. Is it possible he's starting to remember?

No, I couldn't let myself get my hopes up. He's probably just hoping I can help him with his powers some more or something.

I wonder if getting his ghost form to appear would jog his memory? I'm not entirely sure how Danny did it, but maybe there was something in Tucker's data that would give me an idea, but that would require getting Tuck to give me access to those files.

Damn it, I never should have let him get away with keeping the security overrides to himself.

Rick walked in, nearly falling flat on his face as his foot suddenly disappeared. I held back a laugh as he got up slowly, trying to make sure his foot was going to stay tangible at least until he got to me. I caught his playful glare as she saw me smirking at his predicament. He really acts so much like Danny, even if he can't remember who he really is. How can Tucker be so stubborn on believing that isn't him?

* * *

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	13. Chapter 13

What the hell was I doing?

Other than jumping to freaking insane conclusions? Losing my mind. Yes, this shit was real and actually happening, but why the hell was I listening to a voice inside my head? Then again, I probably lost my mind a long time ago, along with all my memories.

There she was. I don't know why, but I was half expecting Sam not to actually show up. With all the crazy things I've thrown at her lately, it wouldn't have surprised me if I overloaded her.

_But you know she can take it. Remember who her best friend was, who you are._

I thought we agreed you'd go away if I talked to Sam.

_You haven't talked to Sam yet; I still have free reign._

I mentally glared at the voice, then once more came to the conclusion that I am indeed losing my mind if I haven't lost it already. Here soon, I was gong to start losing arguments with myself if I kept this up.

I mentally shook myself; while I may be here for many things, but questioning the existence of my own sanity was not one of them. Sam was waiting on me at the table, that damned amused look still on her face from when I had fallen. It was cute, but that didn't make it any less annoying. Nearly falling flat on my face, was not my fault!

She waved as I walked over to her, a smile still on her face those it was no longer of the amused brand. "So, what'd you need to talk to me about?" There was no greeting past the wave, but that doesn't surprise me. Sam never has been one to beat around the bush.

"I...God, I really don't know how to go about this..." My hand went to the back of my neck, the action one of the few that felt familiar and comforting.

She raised an eyebrow. "Way to go, walking into a situation without a plan like a real pro." She laughed, then continued. "Is it something to do with your powers?"

I shrugged as I sat down opposite of her. "Yes...no...kinda...I honestly have no idea." I sighed. "Danny was Phantom, wasn't he?" I didn't know what I expected to get out of having her reassure something I already knew, but it was the best starting place I had at the moment.

"Yeah." She didn't say anything more, her emotions shutting her down before she could really talk.

"I...You..." I took a deep breath and released it, calming myself and fighting to get myself under control long enough to get this out. "I still don't remember anything... Do you think I'm Danny?"

Sam's breath caught, and it wouldn't have surprised me if her heart literally skipped a beat. "What...what did you just say?"

I barely kept my mini panic attack in check. "I really hope I'm not coming off as insensitive here, but do you think I might be Danny?"

Sam looked down at the table, avoiding any and all eye contact with me. I couldn't blame her; regardless of how she was going to respond, it wasn't likely to be something easy to say. "You have his powers, and likely his ghost half, but are you really him if you don't remember anything?"

* * *

Rick pretty much had it figured out, but I didn't realize the most important thing until I said it myself. Was he really Danny if he didn't remember who he was? Sure, he might have the same powers, but memories make up a person.

Was Danny really coming back for me, or was life just taunting me with what I didn't actually have?

* * *

_This story has been fighting me lately, but I think I've got it back under control now. :)_

_However, I will probably have to change updates to just once a week. Things are getting way too hectic and my teachers are on a full sprint towards the end of the year._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	14. Chapter 14

She was right: who the hell could I even pretend to be if I didn't have memories from either life? Names don't make a person, it's the memories that make up life that make a person.

But I did remember on some level, didn't I?

I remembered how to fight in practical situations from all those ghost fights.

I remembered Tucker's easy-going attitude before I even knew his name again.

I remembered Sam's strong personality and the walls she kept up to keep pain out.

I remembered that stupid thermos, even if I didn't have a clue what it was for.

I remembered the ghosts, even if I still didn't know their names.

I remembered Sam's eyes before I'd even fully woken up.

"Yoohoo, Earth to ghost-boy!" I hadn't realized I'd spaced out until Sam finally managed to get my attention. That was another thing I remembered, being called ghost-boy, even if the context was generally not nearly as friendly.

"Sorry, I spaced out a bit," I replied.

"You okay? I know this can't be easy on you." Sam smiled one of those rare smiles, and I brought on a smile of my own in return.

"I'm fine." That's what I said, but it wasn't entirely true, and we both knew it. "I just... I do remember the things that are important, but I can't get the details or even specific events, but I remember things important to me."

Sam's eyes lit up a bit. "What do you remember?"

"I remember how to fight from hunting all those ghosts, I remembered yours and Tucker's personalities, I remember the ghosts and that stupid thermos..." I trailed off, trying to convince myself to keep going. "I remembered your eyes before I'd even fully opened my own." I smiled, and Sam gave a sad smile in return.

She looked down at the table. "I just wish I knew if that was really you or his ghost half imprinting memories in your mind." I saw a tear start to form in her eye, her walls were breaking. "Damn it," she muttered. "I'm sorry, I've gotta go."

Sam practically ran out the door, but I ran after her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back just outside the Nasty Burger.

"I may not remember much, but I do remember this." I pulled her close. "Please don't kill me..."

I kissed her, hard, finally giving into the urge I'd been trying not to admit to all this time. Maybe I didn't remember everything in the stunning detail some people do, but she was familiar. I knew Sam, and that's really all that mattered to me. Sam returned the kiss with a passion even though I really had been expecting her to kick my ass when I started this.

I pulled back after few moments. "Look, Sam, I know I don't remember everything I should, but I know who I am and I know what you mean to me."

"Danny?" Her heart and mind knew what I was saying, even if her eyes didn't want to believe it.

I nodded. "I don't remember specifics, but I remember feelings and I sure as hell can't forget the ones I have for you."

She hugged me, then pulled back, a playful little smile on her face. "You do realize you're starting to sound a little cheesy, right?"

My hand went to the back of my neck. "I was afraid of that." She smirked as I wrapped an arm around her. "So...how long have you known?"

"Since the beginning, but Tucker refuses to believe it." She stared at the ground. "I don't know how we're going to convince Tucker of this. He's pretty hell bent on having absolute proof before he'll believe anything."

I held my hands up. "Your job, not mine!" Sam swatted my shoulder and I just laughed at her. This was familiar, this was the life I was supposed to lead. Screw everything I'd been told I was supposed to be, this was me now, and Sam was where I belonged. I just hoped Tucker would be willing to welcome me back into the fold as easily as Sam did.

* * *

I don't know why I was so willing to believe what he was telling me, maybe I just wanted my Danny back, even if he couldn't remember everything.

Or it could have been the kiss. That could have played a part in it to...

* * *

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always!_

_Now...to not fail my classes... :P_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	15. Chapter 15

"What kind of cruel game do you think you're trying to play?" Those were the first words out of Tucker's mouth when he met up with us. It was the reaction I was expecting, though not the one I was hoping for. I think we both knew there was no way in hell convincing Tucker was going to be easy, but...well, there was no real harm in hoping, right?

I looked him in the eye, noticing that this level of anger was not something I was even remotely familiar with. "I'm not playing a game, Tuck."

"No. You don't get to call me Tuck and pretend we've been friends since we were kids! A month ago you couldn't even remember my name!" Ouch, that hurt.

"Well, pardon me, but dying and getting crammed into some random person's body is hell on the memory!" Crap, I was losing control, something I knew I shouldn't allow to happen. I don't remember what happens when I get out of control, but I doubt an out of control ghost kid would be a pretty sight.

"You're not Danny! I don't care if you have his powers or any of that shit! You aren't him!"

I energy flash in my eyes. Why the hell was he being such a hard-ass about this? He was never this bad about anything before!

"Tucker, calm down. You know what happens when you piss him off too much. We can't afford for anyone to notice his powers acting up."

"Sam, how the hell are you still on his side? I tried to let this crazy idea pass on it's own, but you won't let it go! Danny's dead, Sam! Dead! And we can't bring him back, no matter what this guy tries to claim."

I saw tears start to form in Sam's eyes. That was the last straw. I could put up with him throwing things my way, but he was going to far now. The energy flashed behind my eyes now, but I could feel it building somewhere else too, I could feel it building in my core. It felt familiar, so I didn't stop it. I had other things to deal with right now.

"Tucker..." I growled, noticing that most people were staring at us now.

"Shut up! You aren't a part of this conversation!"

I saw Sam's resolve harden, but that didn't stop me from seeing the hurt in her eyes. "I think you need to back off, Tucker," I said as calmly as I could manage, though what little control I had over my anger was quickly leaving me. The energy in my core was growing stronger and stronger; it felt like it was going to explode soon and the anger Tucker was fueling only made it stronger and stronger.

"I won't back off until you stop with this sick game! You aren't Danny and you never will be! The pair of you need to stop running around in this world of make believe!"

I opened my mouth to retort, but I was stopped. The building energy exploded inside me and I screamed. I saw a blinding flash of light as pain filled my senses. It felt like my body was shutting down entirely, and I couldn't stop it. I knew it couldn't have taken more than a second or two, but it felt like I'd spent a lifetime in that agonizing pain.

I fell to the ground, hearing whispers and murmurs kick up around us. What the hell just happened? Then I started to make out the words around us, only one statement really ringing in my ears.

"It's Phantom."

No, no, no, no, no! This could not be happening! I looked down, and sure enough there were black gloves on my hands and black covering my arms, an eerie aura around my skin. That did not just happen! But, I was staring down the evidence that it had in fact happened. I'd...gone ghost.

I froze, not knowing how to react. Forget that there were dozen of people watching, I was a freaking ghost!

"Tucker, we need to get him home." I could almost hear the scowl Tucker was bound to still have on his face.

"I brought a thermos." I heard the sound of a hand connecting solidly to the back of someone's head.

"Get your damn head out of your ass and stop pretending you don't see what right in front of you!"

"Fine."

I felt them grab my arms and start to help me up, then they took off running, Sam grabbing my hand tightly so I wouldn't get left behind as they raced down the street, barely keeping ahead of the crowd that was starting to follow. When I wasn't focusing on not freaking out, I managed to realize we were moving closer and closer to the neon sign that proclaimed the location of the Fenton's home. I hadn't ever been there before, even when all of this ghost shit first started. I wasn't supposed to belong there, but somehow I knew I did as I was half dragged down the street.

I really don't know how they managed to keep their grip on me. Shouldn't ghosts naturally phase though things? Even when they don't mean to?

The thought was shaken from my head as we finally arrived at our destination, a crowd of people trying to catch up to us. Sam and Tucker nearly threw my through the door before I heard it slam shut behind us and a lock click into place.

"That could have ended worse." Sam was kidding right? We were chased down the fucking street and she thinks it could have gone worse?

"Better than the whole Reality Gauntlet fiasco, that's for sure. At least now we have an hour or so before the Guys in White decide to make life hell on us." On the bright side, there wasn't as much anger in Tucker's voice now. You could tell he was still miffed, but it wasn't as pronounced as it had been earlier.

And then, everything finally hit me like a ton of bricks.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	16. Chapter 16

After everything that had been happening lately, I'm really not sure why the hell this came off as such a surprise. I looked down at my hands, covered in white gloves and surrounded by a glow not of this world. Why? Why did this have to happen to me? Right as some form of screwed up logic and sense began to form in my mind, this shit happens. I suppose I should have known it came with the rest of the ghost stuff I was slowly starting to come to terms with, but that didn't mean I needed to transform in the middle of public.

I've seen how crazy some of those people are and it's pretty scary.

I forced myself to actually look around me. I knew where we were, the freaking neon sign on the roof wasn't hard to miss, but I didn't have a clue who else was here. Just seeing Jazz in school after I figured things out was hard enough, I didn't want to face Jack and Maddie when they saw me like this. I could only imagine what seeing their dead son would do to them.

For once in what I could remember of my life, luck was on my side and the room was empty. I could hear Jack and Maddie down in the basement but something told me I wouldn't be seeing them anytime soon. It was just me for now, but god only knows how long that would last.

"Why did you bring me here of all places?" I didn't understand their logic. I know both of their homes would have been just as far from the Nasty Burger, so why bring me back here? Did they want to see Maddie and Jack freak out at the sight of me? I didn't have a clue as to whether or not they ever did find out my secret, but even if they had accepted it I can imagine it'd be hard to see me after spending the past few months under the impression that their son was gone for good. Honestly, even I'm not entirely convinced I'm really here.

"We'll be safest here," Sam said, before muttering "hopefully."

"I still can't believe this." Tucker was looking at me with scrutiny again, and honestly, I couldn't blame him. His dead best friend is now in someone else's body. It's so fucked up, even I'm still having a hard time believing it.

"I thought we already went over this, Tucker," Sam said, a rather distinct sense of exasperation in her voice.

Tucker glared at her for just a fraction of a second. "Just because we had to run from the mob of screaming fans, it does not mean I'm ready to just jump on board with this whole thing. We don't even know for sure that that's really Danny in there! He may only have ghost powers because he damn near died in that car wreck! We don't know for sure what makes a person half ghost; for all we know it could be done intentionally by focusing energy on your inner spirit or some other spiritual shit!" Tucker took a deep breath, rubbing his head with the palm of his hand and taking a break from the rambling that had completely lost me. "Look, we just don't know what the hell has happened, okay?"

Sam looked like she was about to reply, but we all turned to the sound of the previously locked front door opening to reveal a rather frazzled Jazz. I saw her eyes widen before her mouth opened and closed several times, giving the impression of a fish. "Guys...would someone please explain what's going on here?"

* * *

_Leaving you all hanging for weeks and then posting a short chapter? I'd feel like a horrible person if I didn't have a half-way legitimate reason._

_See, I got back from my choir trip and was already behind schedule and right when I started to catch back up...I got sick...just in time for finals._

_On a random side note: My school district is bat-shit crazy. I don't get out of school until Thursday. O_O_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

_...now...I'm going to go curl up into a little ball until it's time for school and finals tomorrow..._

* * *

_Invisible One_


	17. Chapter 17

"Would someone please tell me what's going on here?" Jazz promptly dropped her grocery bags as she got a good look at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Uh...we found Danny?" Sam, I love you to death, but why would you think that to be a good thing to say right off the bat?

Jazz started babbling to herself as she hesitantly walked a little closer to me. "It is his uniform and logo...but...he didn't use to have that much bulky muscle on him and..." She stopped, staring into my eyes. "Your eyes. Why are your eyes different colors? One's blue and the other's neon green. Why are they different colors?"

I answered almost without thinking. "To hell if I know why they're different." In truth, I had a feeling I was originally born with one blue eye and one green eye and if anything, the transformation would have just put the colors on opposite sides of my face. I think...I wasn't really sure to be honest.

"Danny?" she asked, as if she knew something about this wasn't quite adding up. "Is that you, little brother?"

"I...I think...I mean...we think." I saw something click in Jazz's head as she realized this wasn't adding up because she was missing a large part of the puzzle.

She turned to Sam and Tucker. "Full story. Now." Jazz left no room for questions or misunderstandings in her simple command.

Sam looked to me. "Can you change back? This might be easier to explain if she connects some dots on her own."

"I don't know how I got to this form, much less how the hell I'm gonna change back!" In truth, I was slightly frustrated as I'd been trying to change back during the mad dash over here and hadn't seemed to get even and inkling of success.

Tucker only clearly, but silently, stated that he didn't have a clue what to tell me before Sam refocused her attention on me and spoke. "I don't know...try willing yourself human or something!" I must have given her quite a look as she didn't hesitate long before presenting plan B. "Uh...can you try to find something to think about that links you to the human world? Anything at all?" Right, so Fenton Thermos probably wouldn't help much.

I closed my eyes and ran through the thoughts and feelings that currently made up my memories, but nothing worked until I remembered the feel of Sam's lips against mine. As unmanly as it might be to say it, that memory gave me butterflies and butterflies definitely linked me to the human realm as I felt the rings of transformation wash over me.

The only bad thing it that it hurt nearly as much to turn human as it did to turn ghost and I couldn't keep my scream of agony from echoing off the walls of the house. The noises coming from the basement suddenly stopped as my scream started to die out and I heard people running up the steps that lead from the basement to the kitchen.

"What's going on up here?" Maddie's voice was laced with worry as she reached the top of the steps only to see me laying on the ground, still fighting off the remaining pain, and the others just looking on without doing a thing.

"That's kind of hard to explain, Mrs. Fenton..." Tucker started, but none of us really knew how to continue.

Jazz however, finally managed to get the picture, no farther explanation from us needed, and couldn't keep it to herself.

"Oh my god. You're the kid that nearly died in that car crash...and you have Danny's ghost half and his memories...and... Danny?"

"Jazz, what are you-" Jazz ran forward and enveloped me in a hug, before her...our(?) mother could finish. "-talking about?"

Jazz refused to let me go. "It's Danny, mom. We found Danny." I could have sworn a tear or two of joy leaked from her eyes. "We found Danny."

* * *

I watched the scene slowly unfold, a small part of me wondering if this were all just a dream.

When Jazz walked in the door, I fully expected her to freak out in the same fashion as Tucker had, but she didn't. She managed to keep her head on mostly straight throughout the whole thing.

Honestly, I still don't know what Danny used to change back into the human form we were being forced to slowly get used to, but that didn't really matter much, did it? He managed to change back and that was all we needed.

Then, Jack and Maddie came up, thoroughly confused at the scene before them. I don't know when exactly they fully pieced it together, I just know it wasn't long before they had joined Jazz in crushing the life out of the poor boy. The most surprising thing was that none of them questioned it, as if they'd finally realized that weird and royally fucked up events pretty much made up Danny's life ever since that day in the lab, ever since the day of the portal accident.

As I stood there next to Tucker, awkwardly watching the family's reunion, I couldn't stop myself from making one last remark as if to say "I won."

"I told you he'd be back," I said, and for the first time in a long time, I saw Tucker really smile. Not just the fake shit he'd been showing everyone since Danny died, but a real, genuine smile. Tuck may be a pain in the ass, but god knows I'd missed that smile.

* * *

_...wow...I just now realized there's only going to be an epilogue of a chapter after this. :O_

_For the record, there is a summer update schedule of all my stories posted on my profile._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	18. Chapter 18

Mom and dad were a mess of emotions, and Jazz wasn't much better. I guess I don't even know how to explain the whirlwind of emotions I saw them going through. The tears on mom's face and the few dad will never admit to were a mix of joy at having found me again and some of guilt that they honestly lost hope that I was out there. Seeing them blame themselves for something that was never their fault brought back the first of many mini-waves of returning memories. That was when I remembered telling them my secret and having to comfort them and tell them that hunting my ghost half was just their job, that I didn't blame them for hunting me.

It took a while to calm them down, and once I had I was met with the very real question of what we were going to do about Rick's dad. God, that was going to hurt him and I had to be the messenger. I want to do it, but after a few days Sam convinced me to suck it up and face him. It had to be done, whether I really wanted to deliver that heart breaking news or not.

I remember ringing the doorbell, partially because the door was locked and partially because I knew this wasn't really my home to be just walking into. It seemed to creak open unbelievably slowly and it took on hell of a lot of willpower to force myself to keep my head up. I was nervous as hell and I frankly would have preferred facing Skulker in a new suit than do this.

The door opened. "Uh...hi."

He grabbed me in a hug that I forced myself to return. There was no need the shatter his world any sooner than I had to. "God, am I glad you're home in one piece." He looked me over and I only felt more awkward than before.

I tried to smile back, I really did, but it wasn't working very well. "We need to talk," I said, hardly believing that my voice hadn't wavered on me.

His face fell slightly. "I don't know why you didn't tell me. I shouldn't have had to find out your secret over the news."

"I-I..." How the hell was I supposed to start this? "I'm not who you think I am."

"I get that, and I'm okay with that. I just want you to know I'm here for you."

I shook my head, "That's not what I mean." I sighed and put my hand to the back of my neck. "I'm starting to get my memories back...and... I don't know how to say this."

"You don't have to. I already know, Danny. I guess I was just holding onto a fools hope." He sighed. "My son's gone, isn't he?" I nodded, words having been very effectively stolen from me. "Just...take care of him for me if you see him, okay?"

"How...how did you know?"

He smirked, somehow this man managed a smirk even with what was being dumped on him. "I've been your bus driver for years, I've seen your face walk by me everyday for god only knows how long. It wasn't hard for me to make the connection of Fenton to Phantom." He looked down, the smirk gone from his face. "As soon as I heard what happened at the Nasty Burger... I just... All the little pieces clicked together."

"Are you going to be okay?" I didn't care that he'd figured out my secret, hell with everything else he had to deal with knowing my secret before the rest of the town (that's one mess I never could clean up) was the least he deserved.

"I think I'll be okay eventually, don't let it hold you back though. Go to your real family, just... do me a favor and fly to school for a while, okay? I'll be able come to terms with it in a while, but I need some time if you can give it to me."

I nodded. "Will do. Thank you, for everything."

I saw a small smile come to his lips for just a second. "No problem. Don't stop doing what you're doing, Danny. You're a great kid."

I left after that and as the door shut behind me I could swear I heard a bottle opening, but I can't say I blamed the man. He seemed like a strong man though, I knew he'd be able to pull through it. He might need a few drinks tonight, but he'd get through it.

* * *

Danny looked like he'd been hit by a train when he got back from talking to Rick's dad. "Did it go okay?"

He nodded. "He kinda already knew. I think he'll pull through it though. I can't imagine what he's going through."

I didn't get to talk to Danny much more that night, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton stole him almost as soon as he got home, but he didn't let me out of his sight. For the first time in a long time, I curled up next to Danny that night, my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around me. I honestly didn't know whether he'd ever get his more specific memories back or not, but I didn't care as long as he was here with me.

* * *

_...okay...so I said I had an update schedule, but I never said I'd successfully keep to it. I won't miss any updates though! They may just be a little late..._

_By the way, I lied when I said this would just be an epilogue; the next chapter will be the last though._

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


	19. Chapter 19

As time went by, more and more of my memories returned to me, but I know there are some I still haven't recovered; there are still times when Sam or Tucker will reference an event I can't remember. It will probably always bug me some that I've lost parts of my life, but considering that I should be confined to the world of the dead and not walking among the living, it was a small price to pay.

It took a month for the town to stop making it damn near impossible for any of us to leave the house, and roughly a week after that, Sam and I made our relationship official, though mom and dad didn't find out about that until after things had progressed well past what they found appropriate for a couple of teenagers to be doing. By that point, we'd screwed around enough that they didn't bother trying to slow us down; they knew we'd just find a way of getting away with it anyway.

It was a good three months after that before I saw Rick's dad again. There was a field trip at the end of the school year in May, and he'd been assigned to drive us around for the day. In the split second between seeing him and having to face him again, my mind froze, wondering if it was still too soon for him to deal with seeing me; I'd yet to bother taking the bus like a normal student again.

Then, he smiled at me and my momentary freak-out ended. "Hey. Long time, no see." I'm sure to everyone else, it looked like it was meant to be a joke, but I knew better. It was his way of telling me he was okay now.

The next day, I ran into his son and was nearly suffocated in a hug when I took him back home. I wouldn't force him into the Ghost Zone so long as he didn't do any damage to the town or it's citizens. Not all ghosts are bad, I should know that first-hand.

And that's how this whole mess ended. It had started with Sam stuck within the confines of her own mind and ended with me coming back within her reach. Everything was finally back to being about as normal as it was going to get, and I sure as hell wasn't going to give that up again anytime soon.

* * *

_...wait...I finished it? Woah. I haven't felt the satisfaction of completing a full story in a while; this might take a moment to sink in..._

_I wanna thank everyone that's followed/favorited/reviewed this and Within the Confines of the Mind. Go give yourselves a pat on the back; it's what has kept me going with both of these stories even when it got hard. :D_

_Comments and feedback are as welcome as always! :D_

* * *

_Invisible One_


End file.
